The Wizard (1989)

A boy and his brother run away from home and hitch cross country with the help of a girl they meet to compete in the ultimate video game championship.

Director:

Todd Holland

Writer:

David Chisholm

Stars:

Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Edwards	...	Jimmy Woods / The Wizard
Vince Trankina	...	Tate (as Vincent Leahr)
Wendy Phillips	...	Christine Bateman
Dea McAllister	...	Counselor
Sam McMurray	...	Bateman
Beau Bridges	...	Sam Woods
Fred Savage	...	Corey Woods
Christian Slater	...	Nick Woods
Will Seltzer	...	Putnam
Roy Conrad	...	Bus Clerk
Jenny Lewis	...	Haley
Roderick Dexter	...	Trucker #1 / Wrecking Yard Man
Ray Bickel	...	Trucker #2
Chuck Skinner	...	Grease Monkey
W.K. Cowan	...	Salesman #1

Storyline

Corey and Jimmy Woods are two brothers who are being separated due to their parents divorcing. Jimmy is a mentally unstable kid that has had problems ever since his sister died at a young age. One day, Corey discovers that Jimmy has a natural talent for playing video games. He is one of the best around, and the two journey to the West Coast to compete in a video game championship, but along the way, they must avoid the adults, who are trying to take Jimmy away.

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Plot Keywords:

nintendo | girl | kiss | hitchhiking | arcade | 

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Taglines:

They're on a cross-country adventure to the world's greatest video championship. It's more than a game...it's the chance of a lifetime.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christian Slater plays the son of Beau Bridges. The previous year, Slater had played the son of Beau's brother, Jeff Bridges, in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988).

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Goofs

The announcer states that the final will be a new game that they have never played before, Super Mario 3, yet Haley seemed to know that Jimmy needed to find the warps, and knew what the flute was for.

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Quotes

Haley: You're a quitter Corey! And I don't care if you did like me! Your attitude sucks!
[Corey looks confused]
Corey: You wanted me to like you?
Haley: [ruefully] Not anymore.
[Haley turns and walks away]
Corey: [disappointed] Great!

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Alternate Versions

When shown on Nickelodeon, all profane language is cut, along with the "he touched my breast" line (and, of course, all subsequent references to that line.)

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Connections

Referenced in The Spoony Experiment: Lords of Magick (2011)

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Soundtracks

I Found My Way
Written by Stacy Widelitz and Lara Cody
Performed by Sally Dworsky

User Reviews

Good really Good

I thought this movie was great. Luke Edwards was outstanding. Fred Savage and Jenny Lewis were great as well. The whole movie was an amazing look at the mind of a child through video games. It was excellent.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Brazilian Sign Language

Release Date:

15 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wizard

Filming Locations:

Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,142,525, 17 December 1989

Gross USA:

$14,278,900

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,278,900

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions, Pipeline Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1